Catalyst Invites Community Voices and Scholars to Explore “Our Democratic Imagination”

Catalyst, an open-access journal hosted by Wake Forest University's Z. Smith Reynolds Library, is accepting submissions for its second issue, themed "Our Democratic Imagination," guest edited by Dr. Tim Eatman of Rutgers University–Newark. The call frames America's approaching 250th anniversary as an opening for both critical reckoning and visionary imagination, inviting work that connects community-engaged scholarship to deliberative dialogue, trauma-informed civic repair, and the affective dimensions of civic life such as hope and joy. The journal explicitly welcomes contributions from community practitioners and authors without traditional academic credentials, alongside scholarly work, and charges no submission or publication fees. Submissions are open now through December 31, with authors notified by February 28 and publication expected in summer. This call offers NCDD's network of practitioners and scholars a timely, accessible venue for contributing original thinking on dialogue, deliberation, and democratic renewal to a broader public conversation.

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Catalyst, an open-access journal hosted by Wake Forest University's Z. Smith Reynolds Library, has opened its call for submissions for a second issue centered on the theme "Our Democratic Imagination." Guest-edited by Dr. Tim Eatman, Professor and Inaugural Dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community at Rutgers University–Newark and a prominent voice in publicly engaged scholarship, the issue takes America's approaching Semiquincentennial as its starting point. Rather than treating the 250th anniversary as an occasion for celebration alone, the call asks contributors to grapple with a harder question: given widespread public concern about the health of American democracy, what civic culture should the country build going forward, and what must be learned, repaired, or reimagined to get there.

The journal's call reflects several priorities central to the dialogue and deliberation field, including deliberative dialogue across difference, trauma-informed approaches to civic engagement, and attention to how power and historical harm shape who gets included in democratic conversations. Notably, Catalyst extends an explicit invitation to community members and practitioners without traditional academic credentials, alongside scholars and students, and welcomes creative and multimodal work in addition to conventional academic writing. This openness to varied forms of knowledge and expression positions the issue as a meaningful complement to NCDD's own commitment to centering community wisdom alongside formal expertise in the work of civic renewal.

Submissions are being accepted now through December 31, with authors notified of decisions by February 28 and publication expected in June or July. There are no fees to submit or publish, and the journal has committed to supporting authors throughout the process, including those new to academic publishing. Practitioners and scholars in NCDD's network interested in contributing original reflection, research, or creative work on democratic practice, civic healing, or dialogue across difference can find full submission details and guiding questions at https://catalyst.pubpub.org/call-for-submissions.